Call Forwarding Scam

The Marquette County Sheriff’s Department wants you to know about a phone scam going around that could leave you with a huge bill.

Scammers call you, pretending to be police or hospital staff.

They say that someone you love has been hurt in an accident.

And they ask you to call the officer at the scene by dialing *72, followed by a phone number they provide.

Marquette County Sheriff Mike Lovelace says police agencies never ask anyone to do this.

With most phone providers, dialing *72 at the beginning of a call activates the call forwarding feature.

All calls to your number are then automatically forwarded to the number the scammers gave you.

You may be charged each time this happens, and it’ll continue until the forwarding feature is turned off.

In most cases, *73 stops call forwarding, but it can vary.

If you’re not sure if you have call forwarding, the Sheriff’s Department says you should ask your phone company.

And if the scam happens to you, police also suggest calling your phone provider to dispute the charges.